Election 2010 Wrap-Up
November 17, 2010

Hi, I’m Gene Barr, vice president of the Pennsylvania Chamber. Welcome to this month’s Pennsylvania Chamber Minute.

Overall, the results of this month’s general election leave the business community with optimism about the 2011-2012 legislative session.

At the national level, the election of more pro-business candidates means a better chance to stop some of the Obama administration’s harmful policies. However, the implementation of policy changes through regulation – particularly within the National Labor Relations Board – remains a threat, so business needs to stay vigilant.

At the state level, the election of Tom Corbett as governor, and a state Senate and House now more in tune with policies supported by Pennsylvania Chamber members, could signal a turning point for progress on moving the economy and the jobs climate forward.

While the business community realized a smattering of its legislative agenda over the past eight years, much of the Pennsylvania Chamber’s advocacy efforts were spent on defense against Governor Ed Rendell’s policies. These included a laundry list of potential tax increases that would have been detrimental to business growth if enacted, as well as numerous regulatory burdens on job creators.

Chamber members now welcome the opportunity to play offense in advancing their pro-jobs, pro-growth priorities, which include lawsuit abuse reform and other issues largely ignored during the Rendell administration.

Of course, no one is downplaying the daunting fiscal challenges facing the Commonwealth. The incoming administration and state lawmakers face difficult decisions in tackling issues such as the looming public pension crisis and Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund insolvency.

But the new session is clearly our best opportunity in years to realize meaningful, comprehensive progress. The Pennsylvania Chamber looks forward to working with elected officials to find commonsense solutions to the challenges facing the Commonwealth, while forging ahead with an energized, concentrated strategy to improve the business climate. 

We’ll tell you more about this exciting strategy in next month’s message.

Thank you for your continued support. And thank you for spending a minute of your time with the Pennsylvania Chamber…The Statewide Voice of Business.